Grind is My Ninja Way

Crackle!

Blinding lightning flickered.

As the long blade clashed with the short sword, a bolt of lightning appeared, forcing Seimei to close his eyes momentarily.

At the same time, an electrifying current surged from the point of contact between the short sword and the long blade, rushing toward Seimei.

However, when it reached his palm, it was blocked by a faint, pale blue layer of chakra armor.

Seeing this, the young Thunder Ninja's face darkened, and he nearly growled through clenched teeth, "Again with this… Damn it!"

Over the past few minutes, he had tried at least ten times to penetrate Seimei's chakra armor and send the current into his body.

But every attempt had failed, leaving him increasingly frustrated.

Ever since he mastered the Lightning Release: Thunder Blade, he had feared no one in close combat. Even against a true Jonin, he was confident he could secure victory.

But today, he finally understood the phrase: "There is always a higher mountain, and a stronger person."

Seimei completely countered his Thunder Blade technique. It could only disrupt Seimei's vision, forcing him to hold back slightly. Otherwise, the lead attacker's position would have been handed over to the stronger Mist Jonin fighting alongside him.

However, as time passed, the young Thunder Ninja began to notice that Seimei was gradually adapting to his combat rhythm.

Now, when he used the Thunder Blade to disrupt Seimei's vision, two or three out of ten attempts would be preemptively dodged by Seimei.

This only added to his mounting pressure.

The increasing strain caused him to unconsciously slow down his attacks.

Seimei noticed the change but didn't immediately exploit it.

It wasn't out of mercy; it simply wasn't the right time yet.

Once he had gathered enough information, it would be time to strike. At that moment, his attack could very well be the final blow, the proverbial last straw to break the camel's back—both efficient and decisive.

Clang! Crackle!

Another few minutes passed in a flurry of clashes.

After dodging the attacks of the young Thunder Ninja and the Mist Jonin once again, Seimei suddenly stopped his offensive and leaped backward several times, creating a gap between them.

The two opponents halted as well, watching Seimei warily, trying to guess his next move.

Before they could react further, Seimei quickly formed hand seals and unleashed the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu.

A flurry of shuriken filled the air, splitting into two waves—one targeting the Thunder Ninja and the other aimed at the Mist Jonin.

Faced with such an onslaught, neither dared to take it lightly. They quickly swung their weapons to block or dodged to avoid the storm of projectiles.

When the attack ended, the two found themselves separated by a considerable distance.

This was precisely what Seimei had aimed for.

After more than ten minutes of battle, Seimei had thoroughly analyzed the effects of the Thunder Blade. While he hadn't learned anything new, there was no reason to waste more time.

He decided to end the fight.

Splitting the two opponents was the optimal way to achieve a swift victory.

With his foes separated, Seimei crossed his hands and formed the Tiger Seal, instantly performing the Shadow Clone Jutsu. A clone dashed toward the Mist Jonin, while Seimei himself used the Blink Sword Technique to close in on the young Thunder Ninja.

In a blink, the two-on-one battlefield transformed into two one-on-one duels.

Without the ability to support each other, the two adversaries found themselves in precarious positions.

The Thunder Ninja, being weaker to begin with, was in even more danger, especially since he was facing Seimei's true body.

Determined to prevent any reinforcements, Seimei and his clone fought with full force, utilizing every skill at their disposal.

The shadow clone focused on keeping the Mist Jonin occupied.

Meanwhile, Seimei, shielded by his chakra armor, unleashed his swordsmanship with relentless ferocity. Within moments, the young Thunder Ninja was overwhelmed.

Under immense pressure, the Thunder Ninja spotted a chance and infused his short sword with blinding lightning, hoping to create a brief opening.

Unfortunately, Seimei had anticipated this move.

As soon as the Thunder Ninja acted, Seimei used the Blink Sword Technique, transforming into a blur and circling behind him at a speed too fast for the eye to follow.

The lightning flashed, but it backfired, momentarily blinding the Thunder Ninja himself. Seimei was completely unaffected and seized the perfect opportunity.

Instead of using his blade, Seimei delivered a powerful punch to his opponent's back.

The Thunder Ninja staggered forward, coughing up blood from the immense pain.

Before he could recover, Seimei followed up with a spinning kick, striking the Thunder Ninja's arm and sending him flying sideways.

Taking the chance, the Thunder Ninja turned around to search for Seimei.

But Seimei was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, a foreboding sensation crept into the Thunder Ninja's heart. He instinctively tried to turn around.

Too late.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder, followed by a terrifying suction force.

In an instant, the chakra within the Thunder Ninja's body surged out like a breached dam.

His face twisted in shock, and he desperately swung his short sword backward.

Clink!

The blade struck something hard—not flesh, but a surface as tough as steel.

Seimei's other hand, glowing from the Earth Release: Hardening Technique, had caught the blade, rendering the Thunder Ninja's efforts futile.

The Thunder Ninja glanced at the scene, his expression growing darker. He tried to use the Thunder Blade to counter Seimei's earth-based defense.

But Seimei had prepared for this.

Surging his chakra, Seimei's left arm bulged with power. With a swift motion, he snatched the short sword from his opponent's hand.

The sudden turn of events stunned the Thunder Ninja, leaving him momentarily frozen.

Before he could resist, Seimei grabbed the back of his neck.

In that instant, all resistance became futile.

Within seconds, Seimei drained the Thunder Ninja of his chakra, along with most of his physical and mental energy.

Why not all?

Simple—Seimei wanted him alive.

Since he hadn't managed to learn the Thunder Blade through combat, he planned to extract the training method from his opponent's memories.

The Thunder Blade combined the strengths of ninjutsu and swordsmanship, making it a valuable skill. Seimei hoped to acquire it, along with any other lightning techniques the Thunder Ninja might know.

Sensing his grim fate, the Thunder Ninja tried to take Seimei down with him.

But with his chakra and energy depleted, his feeble attempts were easily thwarted.

Without hesitation, Seimei tightened his grip, targeting the Thunder Ninja's carotid artery and nerve clusters. Within seconds, his opponent was unconscious.

With that done, Seimei turned his attention to the Mist Jonin still battling his shadow clone.